Eleven weeks on from another Olympic Games heartbreak, Paula Radcliffe bolted into Central Park in splendid isolation. The greatest female marathon runner in history was heading to an easy victory in the New York City Marathon, but instead of savouring the moment, she put her head down and ran as hard as possible to the line.

“It was something that was drummed into me as a little kid,” she said. “My dad used to say, 'Looking back is a sign of weakness.'” Radcliffe showed no such signs as she left a field of the world's finest runners strewn across New York's Upper East Side. It was the third time that she had won the race, her time of 2hr 23min 56sec was her slowest over the course, but this was run in the toughest conditions she had faced and against the most challenging field.

But it was her easiest win and the third time the race had served as her comeback. In 2004, her first title came three months after she had dropped out of the Athens Olympics. Last year, she won the race ten months after giving birth to Isla, her daughter. “Marathon Mom” as she was dubbed after her 2007 success, lifted Isla up like the FA Cup after she had crossed the line.

A year that had been dogged by disaster, ended on a high note. A foot injury had forced her to pull out of the Flora London Marathon, a stress fracture in her leg had left her underprepared for the Beijing Olympics, but on familiar territory she got it right.

“It does make it frustrating because you think, 'Why can I get it right all the time in New York and I can't get it right at the Olympics?'” she said. “Sometimes you have to take what life deals you and just do your best.” As always, Radcliffe won from the front. Her rivals had stacked up behind her, running in her slipstream as she faced the 15mph headwind, hoping to steal her hard work. But they all fell away.

Any thoughts of a track record were gone after a slow first mile, as the wind made conditions unpleasant on the Verazano-Narrows Bridge. “Nobody else wanted to lead,” she said. “I looked back and everybody was in single file behind me.” By halfway, which was reached in 1hr 13min 23sec, the lead group was down to six, but along 1st Avenue the pack began to crack. Rita Jeptoo, of Kenya, was dropped, then Kara Goucher, the American, showed the strain. Gete Wami, whom Radcliffe had beaten in a sprint finish last year, was dropped next, followed by Dire Tune, her fellow Ethiopian.

By the time she was in the Bronx, Radcliffe's only companion was Ludmila Petrova, a 40-year-old Russian who could not cope with the 5min 12sec that Radcliffe did on mile 22 through Harlem. From then, she only had the crowd for company.

“I thought I was on my own, but wasn't sure,” she said. “Gary [Lough, her husband] asked why didn't I pull my nosestrip off, but I would have looked an idiot if I had done that and someone was right behind me. If you look back and put your foot down a pothole, you look pretty stupid.” Petrova came second in 2hr 25min 43sec, with Goucher ten seconds back. Hayley Haining finished twelfth in a time of 2hr 35min 11sec.

Before London 2012, Radcliffe has spoken of wanting to take another career break to have another child. The injuries that have broken up her plans in the past four years show that it doesn't do to look too far ahead.

“I feel like I want to get out and race more, but shorter distances,” she said. “I can't run marathons all the time, otherwise my body isn't going to get to 2012. If I hadn't performed, a lot of people would have said I was on a downturn, but I wouldn't have believed that.” Negative thoughts would have been a sign of weakness.

Marilson Gomes dos Santos, of Brazil, won the men's race in 2hr 8min 43sec, overtaking Abderrahim Goumri, of Morocco, in the last two miles.

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